Graham, a three-term senator from South Carolina, is known as a foreign policy hawk in Congress. Though he is considered a long shot — and ranks near the bottom in recent polls of declared and potential Republican presidential candidates — Graham could help drive the debate on national security among a GOP field that includes candidates who sharply question policies ranging from drone strikes to NSA surveillance.

While it’s true that Graham’s views on national security are more palatable to the conservative base than (say) Rand Paul’s, there are areas that may not be reconcilable. Graham is trying to establish himself not as the squishy “RINO” (Republican in Name Only) but as the “realist” in the field who will work in bipartisan fashion to accomplish his agenda. It seems reasonable, in that case, to recall some of his bipartisan efforts in recent years:

Remember the “Year of Immigration Reform“? That was 2013, in case you missed it. The Gang of Eight is often evoked in discussion of Marco Rubio’s amnesty flip-flop, but it’s worth remembering that Rubio was not the only Republican member. Lindsey Graham was right there, effectively leading the GOP side: “We’re going to be aggressive in marketing the bill. This is an all hands on deck approach.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a military lawyer, is the first member of Congress to say the legislature needs to explore the possibility, however unlikely, of limiting some kinds of free speech – like Terry Jones’ Quran burning – that help America’s enemies.

“I wish we could find a way to hold people accountable. Free speech is a great idea, but we’re in a war,” he told CBS’s Bob Schieffer on “Face the Nation.”

Kerry, the de-facto leader of the triumvirate, assured [Rahm Emanuel] that there were five Republicans prepared to vote for the bill. One of them, Lindsey Graham, was sitting at the table. Kerry listed four more: Susan Collins, Olympia Snowe, Scott Brown, and George LeMieux. With five Republicans, getting sixty votes would be relatively easy. The Obama White House and the Three Amigos would be known for having passed a bill that would fundamentally change the American economy and slow the emission of gases that are causing the inexorable, and potentially catastrophic, warming of the planet.

While Graham doesn’t win many points with the base on immigration reform, free speech, or climate change, he is relatively strong not only on foreign policy and Common Core but also on the Second Amendment. Watch him address the NRA-ILA Leadership Forum:

I for one am glad to see him in. I’ve been disguisted by his sight and actions in the Senate and I’m looking forward to him being humiliated in front of the nation. Hopefully it influences him to take an early retirement to K Street

Does anyone know if Graham intends to run as a Republican or Democrat in the primaries? Will he endorse Hillary Clinton in the general election in the same manner his compadre John McCain all but endorsed Barack Obama?

The key to understanding Lindsay Graham is that his political positions are identical to those of Joe Lieberman and John McCain. All three are liberal Democrats on all issues save one: they are strong on national defense (well, they think they are anyway).

None of them fit into either Party. The Democrats are so anti-nationalist, anti-military, that no one can possibly be strong on national defense and feel comfortable in the Democrat Party. But, none of them support any Republican positions aside from this one.

So, we get the bizarre result that Joe Lieberman could be the D’s VP candidate within a decade of John McCain being the R’s POTUS candidate despite the fact that they share the same political ideology across the entire spectrum of issues.

Once you understand Graham is just another Progressive, with the exception of not being a multi-nationalist, nothing he does will surprise you.

What’s really shocking is the fact that Graham and McCain managed to get themselves elected, and re-elected, as Republican Senators given the Conservative nature of the voters in SC and AZ.

Unlike with any other GOP candidate this cycle, Karl Rove was there when Huckabee announced. I think Huckabee is the GOP establishment pick for VP, to run with GOP elite pick Jeb Bush. But Huckabee’s already in trouble – the Great Populist has literally been selling worthless snake oil cures for diabetes and cancer to the uwashed masses he purports to represent – not that Huckabee had much of chance to begin with.

I think they’re sending Graham in to replace the tanking Huckabee as the VP choice-in-waiting. In the GOP, primaries are a formality anymore, a circus for the rubes and a way for the GOP leadership to decide which of its own candidates they needs to destroy to get their own guy in.